2012 Free Agent Watch

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Comment woodbuck27: Now we are back to three teams as PM suitors:

DENVER, TENNESSEE and SAN FRANCISCO (in late).



Cardinals are paying Kevin Kolb’s $7 million roster bonus

Posted by Evan Silva on March 16, 2012, 3:43 PM EDT
AP


ESPN’s Suzy Kolber reports that the Arizona Cardinals have decided to pay quarterback Kevin Kolb’s $7 million offseason roster bonus.



**** The decision formally removes Arizona from the Peyton Manning sweepstakes. ****



The Cardinals didn’t have to turn the move into the league office. It’s not a transaction.

They’ll simply allow time to elapse without releasing Kolb, and pay the bonus on Saturday.

Arizona’s front office apparently never considered parting with Kolb in the event they missed on Manning. Fingers crossed, they will hope a full offseason in the system helps Kolb work out his kinks.

More practice and study time probably aren’t going to cure Kolb’s penchant for getting happy feet and making himself small in the pocket, however, and to this point in his career those tendencies have prevented him from sustaining success.

Kolb will compete for the Cardinals’ starting quarterback job with John Skelton in training camp.

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Peyton Manning wants his new contract to match his old contract

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 16, 2012, 3:53 PM EDT
Getty Images

When we passed along the report from the Denver Post that Peyton Manning was seeking a five-year, $60 million contract, Florio noted that it seemed a little light.

That’s because it was.

Mike Klis of the Denver Post has now updated his report and said that what Manning is actually seeking is a contract like the one he signed last year with the Colts, which was for five years and $90 million, with a whopping $61.8 million in the first two years.

That’s a whole lot of money, but Klis writes that both the Broncos and Titans are fine with that contract, if that’s what it takes to land Manning. If the reports that the 49ers are the third finalist for Manning are true, presumably that means the 49ers are fine with that contract, too.

Some reports have suggested that Manning’s contract will be structured to protect the team that signs him in the event that his neck prevents him from playing in 2012, as it did in 2011.

But if Manning is back in the NFL this year, as he expects to be, he also expects to be one of the league’s highest-paid players. And the teams that covet him are fine with that.

[sheepshead]

How about a moratorium on PFT cut and pastes? Any other sources out there??

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Matt Birk staying in Baltimore on three-year deal

Posted by Evan Silva on March 16, 2012, 4:01 PM EDT
AP
The Baltimore Ravens announced Friday that they have agreed in principle to a three-year contract with center Matt Birk.

Earlier this month, Florio reported that Birk had hoped to play “a couple more years.” The contract arrangement suggests the Ravens will let him do just that in Baltimore.

Birk turns 36 before the season.

He has not missed a start since 2004, and is still playing at a high enough level that remaining a starter through 2013 looks like a good possibility.

[gbgary]

Peyton Manning wants his new contract to match his old contract

i know what he means. it's tough living from check to check.

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Raiders tell Wimbley he’s being released

Posted by Mike Florio on March 16, 2012, 4:07 PM EDT
AP

As expected, the Raiders will part ways with linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, less than a year after signing him to a multi-year deal.

Agent Joe Linta tells PFT that Wimbley has been given the news that he’ll be given his walking papers.

“He’s cut,” Linta said via email.

“We tried this afternoon to make it work this afternoon, but there were too many constraints with the Raiders cap and cash situation. [G.M.] Reggie [McKenzie] was a real pro trying to make it work. Good guy. Kamerion is going to take the weekend to see which teams may have an interest.”

The move had to happen Friday because if Wimbley were on the roster as of Saturday, an additional $4.5 million in 2012 base salary would have become fully guaranteed, $11 million in full salary guarantee for 2013 would have been triggered, and $2 million of Wimbley’s base salary in 2014 would have become fully guaranteed.

Thus, the Raiders avoiding $17.5 million by cutting Wimbley.

And so he hits the open market, only three days after the market opened.

Don’t be surprised if he lands with the Chiefs.

Coach Romeo Crennel drafted Wimbley in 2006, when Crennel was head coach of the Browns.

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Fred Davis signs franchise tender, guaranteeing him $5.416 million

Posted by Evan Silva on March 16, 2012, 4:12 PM EDT
Reuters

The Washington Redskins announced Friday that tight end Fred Davis has signed his one-year franchise tender.

Davis will receive a guaranteed base salary of $5.416 million in 2012.

G.M. Bruce Allen recently stated that the Redskins intend, eventually, to sign Davis to a long-term contract.

After a 2011 suspension that ended his season after 12 games, however, the Skins may make Davis prove he can stay drug free for a full year before making that commitment.

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Buddy Nix suggests No. 1 tailback job is wide open

Posted by Mike Florio on March 16, 2012, 3:04 PM EDT
Getty Images
Bills G.M. Buddy Nix joined PFT Live on Friday to talk primarily about the team’s biggest free-agency acquisition since true free agency arrived in 1993, which coincided with the last of the team’s four Super Bowl appearances.

But we also addressed the status of veteran running back Fred Jackson. Nix said that Jackson will be offered an extension, because he deserves one.

“The only negative with Fred is the route he’s come and he’s got some age on him,” Nix said,

adding that the goal is to get it done before going to training camp in July.

So who will be the No. 1 tailback at camp, Jackson or C.J. Spiller?

“Well, that’s gonna be for them to decide,” Nix said.

We hope we’ve done enough to entice you to decide to what the entire clip.

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Colts sign Zbikowski to three-year contract

Posted by Evan Silva on March 16, 2012, 4:34 PM EDT
Reuters

Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune reports that the Indianapolis Colts have signed safety Tom Zbikowski to a three-year contract.

Zbikowski spent his first four NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Former Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano is now the Colts’ head coach, and Indianapolis has a hole at strong safety after releasing Melvin Bullitt.

The 27-year-0ld Zbikowski will be a candidate to replace Bullitt, as well as play on special teams.

Through four seasons, Zbikowski has racked up 14 starts, 75 tackles, and two interceptions. He can also return kicks and punts.

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Flynn, Wells lead seven Packers toward free agency

By Mike Spofford, packers.com staff writer

Posted Mar 12, 2012




Barring an 11th-hour deal – and those are certainly possible, as they’ve happened before in Green Bay – the Packers have seven players who will become unrestricted free agents at 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

Once that time arrives, it doesn’t mean one or more of those players still won’t eventually re-sign with the Packers, but it does mean each of those players is free to negotiate with other teams.
Here’s the rundown on the group, with the first on the list being the most likely to leave Green Bay.

QB Matt Flynn

The seventh-round draft pick in 2008 will be attractive to quarterback-needy teams, and a reunion with former Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin in Miami is considered to be a strong possibility.
It will be interesting to see what effect, if any, the Peyton Manning sweepstakes have on Flynn. Will Flynn wait until Manning signs somewhere to allow for the most possible suitors for his skills, or will a team that knows it’s not getting Manning step up with an offer Flynn can’t refuse before the Manning situation concludes?

C Scott Wells

Head Coach Mike McCarthy said after the season and at the scouting combine that he hopes things work out with Wells, who has been the Packers’ most consistent offensive lineman over the last two seasons, and the only one to start every game.
Wells, a seventh-round pick back in 2004, has been routinely praised for his “quarterbacking” of the offensive line with regard to protection calls and adjustments, and his value on the open market is as high as it could be with him coming off his first Pro Bowl selection.
Should he depart, the Packers will have three options to fill his spot: sign another veteran center in free agency (there are several candidates), groom backup Evan Dietrich-Smith to take over, or draft a replacement.

CB Jarrett Bush

Bush tested the market once before, three years ago, as a restricted free agent. He received an offer from Tennessee the Packers matched. Now, the six-year veteran and special teams ace will be unrestricted for the first time.
In each of his six seasons, Bush has recorded double digits in tackles on special teams, and he has ranked first, second or third on the team in that category four times. On defense, he has played mostly dime cornerback over the past two years when the Packers have gone to six defensive backs, and he’s been used at times as a slot blitzer. His role on defense also began to increase late last season, as he was worked into the nickel package on early downs.

RB Ryan Grant

The Packers’ situation at running back is in as much flux as any position. James Starks has been the feature back at times, but he hasn’t been fully healthy in either of his two seasons with the team. Alex Green, a third-round draft pick last year, will be coming off reconstructive knee surgery this season, and former undrafted free agent Brandon Saine carried the ball just 18 times as a rookie in 2011.
All that uncertainty could mean Grant comes back, but his scenario is similar to that of Wells and Bush – it will also depend on what he finds on the market as a free agent. With limited opportunities in 2011, Grant’s production was down throughout the middle portion of the season, but then it picked up down the stretch. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry (42 rushes, 243 yards) over the final four games of the regular season, a sign that, perhaps, he was finally fully recovered from his season-ending ankle injury in 2010.

DE Howard Green

Green played a significant role as a midseason pickup in 2010, helping the Packers win the Super Bowl, but his impact wasn’t as notable in 2011. With the Packers employing so much nickel defense, Green – a run-stuffer – played sparingly and recorded just 21 tackles, barely more than the 17 he had the previous year in half a regular season of action.

CB Pat Lee

A second-round pick in 2008, Lee hasn’t developed into the nickel or starting corner role envisioned for him, at least not yet. Injuries robbed him of most of his first two seasons, and the last two years he’s been behind Sam Shields and Bush on the cornerback depth chart while playing mostly on special teams. With 12 coverage tackles in 2011, Lee tied with Bush for first on the team.

LB Erik Walden

The starter at outside linebacker opposite Clay Matthews most of last season, Walden had three sacks in the first 10 games but saw his production drop off down the stretch, and much of his playing time was then taken by Frank Zombo and Brad Jones. If Walden is brought back, he will have to win back his starting position, because there’s certainly nothing guaranteed at that spot right now.

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http://www.packers.com/news-and-even...1-e2f75a469b56


Which TEAM made the BEST DEAL (S) in FREE AGENCY SO FAR?


Packers.com Staff Writer Mike Spofford says it’s the Bucs.



It’s hard not to think that the Tampa Bay Bucs have improved themselves more than any other team over the last couple of days. They’ve added two significant pieces on offense, as they continue building around promising quarterback Josh Freeman, landing receiver Vincent Jackson from San Diego and guard Carl Nicks from New Orleans. They have also begun addressing their defense with cornerback Eric Wright from Detroit.

Tampa Bay spent a ton of money, no doubt, but I’m not going to get into value here, just how much better the Bucs are now than they were when this week began.

In Jackson, Freeman finally gets a true No. 1 receiver to join pass catchers Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow. Jackson is a big-play guy who has averaged 18 yards per catch over the last four years. He can take advantage of Freeman’s strong arm and adds a new vertical dimension to Tampa Bay’s offense.

Nicks was a second-team All-Pro two years ago and a first-teamer last season. He’s as good as there is at his position and he’s only 27. He’s a road-grader of a blocker who should make running back LeGarrette Blount very happy.

In Wright, the Bucs haven’t fixed their defense – which struggled mightily the second half of last season – but they’ve addressed a key area, which was a weak and thin secondary. There’s more work to do there, but getting a solid, veteran cover man is a good start.

Did Tampa Bay overspend? Probably. Did they have any other choice?

The Saints and Falcons are the class of the NFC South right now and the Panthers are a team on the rise with a franchise quarterback in Cam Newton.

The Bucs had to make a splash in free agency to provide legitimate hope, and to help ensure that new coach Greg Schiano’s tenure isn’t as short as his predecessor’s.

Remember, this team is only two years removed from a 10-6 record that left them just out of the playoffs (we all know another 10-6 team in 2010 that happened to get in). The Bucs also started 4-2 last year and took the eventual 15-1 Packers to the wire at Lambeau Field before Raheem Morris lost the team and losing snowballed.

All that talk last offseason about the Bucs being a team to watch turned out to be just that, talk. The team wasn’t ready for prime time. In just two days, that may have changed.




Packers.com Editor Vic Ketchman says it’s the Redskins.


I’ll say this for the Washington Redskins: They’re no quitter.

The trauma the Redskins have endured in free agency would cause most teams to turn their attention to the draft, but every March – last year it was July – the Redskins have stepped up to the plate and taken their swings, and this March is no different.

Last summer they signed O.J. Atogwe. He’s no longer with the team. The Redskins spent and enormous sum of money on Albert Haynesworth. Ouch! Adam Archuleta got a big payday; he was gone a year later.

The Redskins have been the poster team for what not to do, which is to say trying to build your team through free agency, but they were at it again when free agency kicked off this week, and I think they got it right this time.

Forget about value. The Redskins always overspend, which is the very nature of free agency, but the owner apparently has a limitless supply of money and the Redskins aren’t opposed to pushing money onto future caps; they needed a new CBA in 2006 because they had pushed so much into the future. All the Redskins want out of free agency is to have signed players that will make them a winner, and I think they might have achieved that goal this year, depending, of course, on what they do at quarterback.

The moves the Redskins have made in free agency this week would seem to dovetail with the trade the Redskins executed with the Rams that positions the ’Skins to draft quarterback Robert Griffin III. With the additions of wide receivers Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan, Head Coach Mike Shanahan will have acquired playmakers to help make RG3 a Cam Newton-like instant success.

The Redskins were also in hot pursuit of wide receiver Eddie Royal, a teammate of Morgan’s at Virginia Tech.

It’s the re-signing of defensive lineman Adam Carriker, who settled into the nose tackle position and had some success with the Redskins last season after having been a first-round bust in St. Louis, that I like the most. Carriker has all of the measurables you want in a 3-4 defensive lineman; maybe end just wasn’t his position.

The Redskins say they’re not done, yet. They’ve scheduled a visit by cornerback Aaron Ross on Friday, and signed safety Brandon Merriweather, a former first-round pick of the Patriots, on Thursday.

When free agency is over, the money the Redskins will have spent is likely, again, to be alarming, but I finally like their selection of free agents.

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http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/top-five/article-1/Point-counterpoint-What-team-got-the-best-start-to-free-agency/d36b6630-30dc-4e68-9b81-e2f75a469b56

What team got the best start to free agency?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 53%

Washington Redskins 18%

Other 29%

1189 Total Votes

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http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article_ketchman/article-1/What’s-left-in-free-agency/a82db403-5188-4703-89e8-138b596793c0

What’s left in free agency?

By Vic Ketchman, packers.com senior editor



Posted 4 hours ago

• 

Most of the headliners, led by Mario Williams, were quickly signed to contracts. So, other than for Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn, who are expected to reel in two of the biggest contracts of free agency, what’s left of this year’s free agent class? Let’s start with Manning and Flynn.

Which domino will fall first? Is Flynn waiting for Manning or is Manning waiting for Flynn? When one falls, the other is likely to quickly do the same. So, if you’re looking for a franchise quarterback, you better give one of those two guys a call because they’re not likely to remain available much longer.

The Packers, of course, are not looking for a franchise quarterback. It appears they’re not even looking for a backup quarterback. Those teams that have interest in a backup, I would direct their attention to David Garrard.

Garrard is coming off a season of inactivity, after being cut by the Jaguars to make room for top pick Blaine Gabbert, and then having back surgery. He says he’s recovered from the surgery and prepared to embrace a backup role. When he was good, he was very good. He just wasn’t good often enough, and that’s the standard definition of a backup quarterback. Garrard always had talent. He has always been a strong-armed, athletic and durable quarterback that played well in spurts.

If there’s strength in what’s left of this free agent class, it’s at running back.

Mike Tolbert leads a group that includes hard-running Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Michael Bush and Jerious Norwood. Tolbert is true quality and is probably seeking to be paid as such, but as the clock ticks, the price tag will fall. Runners of Green-Ellis’ talent can be had in the draft, but he’s a proven veteran who knows how to play, has a thousand-yard season behind him and doesn’t fumble. Bush is a big back for a team that wants to pound, and there aren’t a lot of those teams left; he might have trouble finding one. Norwood was once thought to be a hidden talent behind Michael Turner.

How about a fullback to block for one of those guys?

Lousaka Polite blows people up and is a lights-out short-yardage runner.

The first week of free agency resulted in a run at the wide receiver position. Ironically, the player that made the big play of the Super Bowl is still available. Mario Manningham, anybody? You could certainly say he’s a winner.

One of the most intriguing free agents is Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace, considered to be one of the fastest receivers in the league. He’s a big-play guy, but he’s also an RFA with a first-round tender. What team might use their first-round pick on Wallace? New England?

Veterans Lee Evans and Deion Branch have aged into possession receivers, which means a couple of good route-runners that have a book on the league’s defensive backs and know how to sit down in a soft spot, can be signed for little damage to the salary cap. Jerricho Cotchery is also tempting.

Offensive linemen? Centers Scott Wells and Chris Myers head the list.

Want someone steady and reliable? Tackle Kareem McKenzie’s the guy.

Want a space-eater? Guard Chris Kemoeatu’s the guy.

The big guys on both sides of the ball, of course, always go quickly.

What’s left now is a grab bag of prospects that require vision as to the role they might fill and how they might fit into a particular scheme.

Defensive end Matt Roth is a try-hard guy but with a concussion history that clouds his future. Igor Olshansky is a mauler and they never go out of style.

Dave Tollefson is coming off the best year of his career and appears to be a guy on the rise.

Linebacker?

Joe Mays is the man if you want an undersized guy who’ll hit everything that moves, and do it on special teams, too. He’s still out there.

James Farrior is long of tooth but he was still playing at a high level last season.

Aaron Ross and Tracy Porter are two of the top cornerbacks and it’s thought they’ll sign soon. Want a down-the-road guy? William Gay doesn’t have shut-down speed or skill, but he played a lot of good ball for the Steelers.

As the headliners continue to fall, free agency turns into its most important phase, which is to say the affordable phase.

That’s when the teams strike it rich.

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http://www.packers.com/news-and-even...f-4a9b7fccf246

Point, counterpoint: Spend a lot in free agency?


Posted Mar 8, 2012





Packers.com Editor Vic Ketchman says no.

Participation in expensive free agency carries with it this disclaimer: Be very, very sure the guy you’re signing is the player you think he is, or else.

Or else what?

Or else your team’s salary cap is going to be damaged, your team’s future is going to suffer, and your job is going to fall into jeopardy.

Yeah, that’s how devastating a miss in expensive free agency can be. I don’t think I need to throw the names at you. OK, I’ll throw out one: Albert Haynesworth. Get it?

Mike Spofford threw one at me: Joe Johnson (pictured). I wasn’t covering the Packers when they signed Johnson, but from afar I knew it hadn’t turned out well. Of course, you know better than I do the degree to which that signing didn’t work.
I’m not against free agency. I’m actually a proponent of using free agency because I believe a team needs to use every resource available in acquiring talent. I’m just against first-week free agency, which is to say expensive free agency, because, in my opinion, there are no bargains in the first week of free agency.

It’s my opinion that all early signings are overpaid. The risk/reward, in my opinion, is grossly tilted toward risk. I think if you wait a little bit and let some of the free agents that went into the process thinking they were going to break the bank find out the market isn’t as attracted to them as they are to the market, you might find a gem that actually is worth the money you agree to pay him. Charles Woodson was such an acquisition.

First-week free agency also has a reputation for not producing for its participants the results they were seeking. The Jets and Eagles were big players in free agency last summer. How did that work for them?

The Packers haven’t been a big participant in the last two free agency periods. In fact, they haven’t participated at all. The last guy they signed is Duke Preston in 2009. I wasn’t here then. Duke isn’t here now.

Since the Packers stopped signing free agents, they won a Super Bowl and 19 games consecutively. Is there a message in that?

The Patriots haven’t been swingers in expensive free agency, either. They got stung on Roosevelt Colvin a long time ago, took a break to regain their courage, and then took a big swing at Adalius Thomas in 2007, and struck out on a wicked curve ball that buckled the Patriots’ knees. They haven’t taken a big swing since.

Pittsburgh treats first-week free agency as though it’s a leper colony.

The Giants are above such admissions of weakness.

I’m not saying the Packers won’t go for a guy next week. I’m just saying that should they do it, they better be very, very sure the guy they sign is the player they think he is, or else.




Packers.com Staff Writer Mike Spofford says yes.

Every team in the NFL is in this, or should be in this, to win a championship. For a contender to win a championship, it must get better players, and the best players available to improve a team are the ones at the top of the free-agent market.

The top guys in free agency are established pros. They’ve been around the block. They aren’t rookies that need to be brought along, that need to learn. They’re ready to step in and play. Somebody is going to sign these guys to improve their team, and if it’s not you, then your competition is getting better players instead.

Are some of these top free agents going to demand too much money? Of course. Proven players don’t come cheap. The top free agents, if they aren’t tagged as franchise or transition players by their original teams, have probably been underpaid to this point in their careers. Now they might get overpaid a bit, but should a few extra bucks prevent you from getting a player who can really help your team?

The position they play matters. Quarterbacks, offensive tackles, pass rushers and cornerbacks are the premier positions in the league. This is where to spend the money. If a top free agent at a premier position is better than what you have on your team, you’d better look into it because somebody is going to get better at an important spot.
Big free-agent signings come with risk, primarily financial. They eat up salary cap space, and if they don’t perform as expected, that can damage a team’s future. Sometimes it doesn’t work out. It’s not foolproof. Nothing in this business is, but nobody in the NFL wins it all by totally playing it safe, even the Packers.

Green Bay’s only two Super Bowl championship teams since the Lombardi era both featured prime free agents – Reggie White and Charles Woodson, a pass rusher and a corner. In 1996 and 2010, respectively, they were big-time playmakers and superb locker-room leaders. It took a few years in each case – White signed in ’93, Woodson in ’06 – for the Packers to win that title, but those prized free agents were huge building blocks in the development of a championship team.
Free agency is a high-risk, high-reward game. It’s an investment made in a proven, high-priced player when a multi-year window to win a title presents itself. White was the biggest prize on the market the year he became available and he helped the Packers get to three straight NFC title games and two consecutive Super Bowls. His jersey has been retired by the Packers and he’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’s the most significant free-agent signing in team history, if not league history.

Free agents like White can make the difference. Can they bust? Of course, but they can also give a contender a bigger championship window. The Packers of the mid-1990s were becoming a good team that might have gotten a shot at winning it all without White, but he helped give the Packers multiple bites at the big apple. The franchise’s hopes weren’t all on that single year that it finally might come together. The hope was annual.

Woodson’s case is a little different because he lasted on the free-agent market longer than expected. The interest in him wasn’t as high as anticipated, but the Packers made a large investment in him nonetheless. He aided Green Bay’s push to the conference title game in his second season with the Packers before becoming an integral figure on the championship team three years later.
It’s all about opportunity, and proven players at premier positions enhance and increase a team’s opportunities. Winning it all is all that’s worth winning

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Whisenhunt confirms Cardinals are out of the mix for Manning

Posted by Evan Silva on March 16, 2012, 5:09 PM EDT
AP

The Arizona Cardinals seemed like an excellent fit when Peyton Manning hit unrestricted free agency last week. They have a top-three NFL receiver, an up-and-coming running game and defense, and a retractable-roof stadium in one of the league’s weaker divisions.

Manning confirmed his interest in Arizona by paying a visit to Cardinals headquarters last weekend. But it didn’t work out.

“Regarding today’s developments and our quarterback position, acquiring Peyton Manning is no longer an option for us,” Whisenhunt confirmed, referring to Friday’s decision to pay Kevin Kolb’s $7 million roster bonus.

“Since the end of last season, we made it very clear that our plan was to head into 2012 with Kevin Kolb and John Skelton, let the process play out and — like at every position — go with the quarterback who gives us the best chance to win.

“Obviously something very unique and unexpected presented itself. We’ve said it many times: If there’s an opportunity to make our team better, we’ll explore it. … In the end, it didn’t work out, but from our perspective it was very positive and we certainly don’t have any regrets about it.”